The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1887-09-16
HOW TO TREAT COMPANY
DISCOURSE By REV. DR.. TALMAGE
At THE HAMPTONs.

The Trials and Rewards Of Christian
Hospitality-The Toll and Expense o
Exercising It-A Pretty Custom Anon,
the Greeks.
TIE HAMpToSs, Sept. ll.-1hc Rev
DR.. T. De Witt Talmage's text toda,
was from Romans xii, 10: "Given t
hospitality" and his discourse as fol
lows:
There is danger that the multiplied
ton of large and commodious hotels it
our towns and cities and villages vii
utterly exterminate that grace which
the angels. and which Lot showed when
he watched for guests at the gate of tho
city, and which Christ recognized as q
positive requisite for entering heaven
when he declared: Il was stranger and
We took me in.
propose to speak this morning of the
trials and rewards of Christian hospital.
ity. The first trial often comes in the
within and eccentricity of the guest him.
self. There are a great many excellent
people who have protuberances of dis
position and sharp edges of temperament,
and unpliability of character, which
make them positive nuisance in any
house where they stay. On short ac-
quaintance they will begin to command
the household affairs, order the employees
to unusual service, keep unreasonable
hours, use narcotics in places offensive to
sensitive nostrils, put their feet at UNI
usual elevations, drop the ashes of their
Havana on costly tapestry, open bureaus
they ought never to touch and pry into
things they ought never to see, and be-
come impervious to rousing bells,
and have all the peculiarities of the
gormandizer or the dyspeptic, and make
excavations from poor dentistry with
unusual implements, and in a thousand
ways afflict the household which proposes
to take care of them. Added to all, they
stay too long. They have no idea when
their welcome is worn out and they
would be unmoved even by the blessing
which my friend Gerrit Smith, the phil
anthropist, asked one morning at his
breakfast table, on the day when he hoped
that the long protracted guests would de-
part, saying: 30 Lord, bless this provision
and our friends who leave us today"
But, my friends, there are alterations to
be put on their side of the scale. Perhaps
they have not had the same refining in
fuences about them in early life that you
have had. Perhaps they have inherited
Perhaps 1t is your duty, by example, to
show them better way. Perhaps they
are sent to be trial for the development
of your patience. Perhaps they were to
be intended as an illustration of the op-
posite of what you are trying to inculcate
in the minds of your children. Perhaps
it is to make your home the brighter when
they are gone. When our guests are
CHEEKY and fascinating and elegant it is
very easy to entertain them; but when
we find in our guests that which is an
tagonistic to our taste and sentiment, it is
a positive triumph when we can obey the
words of my text, and be given to
hospitality"
Another -tsial in the using of this grace
is in the toll and expense of exercising it.
In the well regulated household things 90
smoothly, but now you have introduced
foreign element into the machinery,
and though you may stoutly declare that |
they must take things as they find them,
the Martha will break in. The ungov-
ernable stove; the ruined DESSERT the |
joint that proves to be unmasticable; the
delayed marketing; the perplexities of a
caterer; the difficulty Of doing proper
work, and yet always being presentable.
Though you may say there shall be no
care or anxiety, there will be care and
4 hQra will no In 1904
tain general provided very grand en-
tertainment, and among other things
he had fountain in his garden--a
of strong drink. In it were
four hogsheads Of brandy, eight hogs
heads of water, $4,000 lemons, thirteen
of Lisbon sugar, five
pounds of grated nutmeg, 800 toasted
biscuit, and boat built on purpose was
placed in the fountain and boy rowed
around it and filled the cups of the peo-
pie who came there to be supplied. Wei.
you say, that was a luxurious entertain
ment, and of course the man had no
anxiety; but I have to tell you that,
though you had or propose an entertain
nent like that, you have anxiety. In
hat very thing comes the divine re-
NdIu. we were DOTn 10 serve, ana when |
We serve others, we serve God. The flush
IN that woman's cheek, as she bends over
he hot stove, is as sacred in Gods sight
Is the flush on the cheek of one who, on
/ hot day, breaches the Gospel. We may
erve God with plate, and cutlery, and
room, as certainly as we can serve him
With psalm book and liturgy. Margaret.
queen of Norway, and Sweden, and Den
mark, had royal cup of ten lips, on
which were recorded the names of the
,uests who had drunk from this cup.
md every Christian woman has a royal
up, on which are written all the names
f those who have ever been entertained
" her in Christian style-names not cut {
" human ingenuity, but written by the
and of a divine Jesus. But, my friends.
GU are not to toll unnecessarily. Though
he fare be plain, cheerful presidency of {
he table, and cleanliness of appointments {
viii be good enough for anybody that
yer comes to your house. John Howard
7as invited to the house of nobleman I
lie said: 81 will come on one condition. l